A FORWARD-thinking Flixton school is set to make more than £2million in electricity savings over the next 25 years after cashing-in on a free-fit solar scheme.

Wellacre Academy has the largest school solar array in Britain and the 1,720 panels will generate a saving of £2,168,307 over the next quarter of a century.

Principal Melanie Wicks found that using their existing electricity supplier the school would spend £3,087,390 on electric bills over 25 years, but the cut-price electricity deal with the solar supplier would incur costs of just £919,083 for the same period under a power purchase agreement. The saving is set to increase year on year as electricity prices inevitably go up.

Miss Wicks said: “It will save us more than £50,000-a-year - a huge saving, particularly in times of government austerity with school budgets.

“We have our own Eco Centre with reed beds and we recycle the water. We also have 10 chickens, who produce eggs, and three beehives and we make our own honey. The entire school has energy saving systems throughout, but the solar panels will allow us to do some fascinating projects, using real data for science, geography, technology and maths from the electricity generated on site.”

The money saved on utilities can be spent on other school activities. The school's carbon footprint will reduce by 5,800 tonnes during the course of those 25 years at a rate of 232 tonnes per annum, based on Department of Energy and Climate Change figures.

The school were able to make the savings thanks to an Eden Group and Green Energy International deal.

Green Energy International managing director Arthur Bell said: “Wellacre as an institution is clearly very forward-thinking with a massively inspirational principal in Miss Wicks. We are very happy to have teamed up with the Eden Group to enable this project to literally switch the lights on for generations of future pupils.”

Anyone wishing to inquire about possible free fit for their premises should visit greenenergy-int.com or email info@greenenergy-int.com.